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So for me:
The good:
Re-balancing and clarifying some of the table rules. Really hopeful, its a great game with some flaws atm, hopefully the great remains and the flaws are smoothed out somewhat, I mean elevation....
Key-word hiring is an idea I'd longed hoped to see, really hopeful.
Reducing the number (and hopefully complication) of conditions is a good thing for casual play (easier) and tournaments (faster).
The game is alive, progressing, taking feedback from its community and vibrant
The worrying:
Well the obvious is a new edition can damage what I love and introduce changes I dislike, but Malifaux 1E > 2E was a great step, so not worrying yet on this.
The "removal" of certain models and masters, this makes me a little nervous, as a devout Arcanist losing Ramos stings some, he was a fun master and the question emerges what is the fate of the Steam Arachnids and Large Steam Arachnids to give them play time, many Ramos players own a fair number of Steam Arachnids and Swarms, hopefully they will have meaningful use (Hoffman??).
While key-word is cool wondering what will happen the the faction system and will this begin a fragmentation of factions into a more this master/that master focus over the factions at the games thematic core.
Cost.
But....
The Dead Mans hand indicates that some time and effort will be expended on the removed models and the Malifaux world and story is highly flexible, Ramos may break out in the future, Nico may return as a revenant, many story options are available which may see lost characters return.
Ultimately removing models does allow the game to evolve and expand and not suffer horrifying model bloat and thematic overwrite, I may lose masters or models I like but hopefully I gain as much or more. I want new shiny things and this provides them while reducing clutter, bloat and retaining flexibility in design space.
The key-word rework has huge scope for re-balancing individual models, masters and their crews and even factions. This could really be wonderful.
Wyrd does seem to be planning to make access really affordable and I should apparently be able to update everything I own (rules/models) for free 😀
So overall, really excited.
Of course the big questions are when, when, when, obviously this is not answerable yet but the problem with such news is I am not by nature super patient....
Also offers some interesting questions for what the GenCon new releases will look like, while they will obviously be 2E releases they are equally obviously going to need to be updated very soon, one wonders if these models will be the first to reflect what Malifaux 3E will look like, have they been designed with 3E already in mind??

Yep, 110% agree.
And I really think she is a truly unique piece, no other war game (or nearly any game) has a force comprised of cabaret girls, dancers and actors. It is so uniquely Malifaux, a crew primarily about flash, glitz and illusion - it breaks about every war game stereotype their is, thats why I love her and her theme crew and why I'd like to see some re-working. I've written about this before on several other threads.
Really hope the Wyrd-Thralls are looking at some ideas.

Agreed WWHSD, as always.
Love Colette, my first and favorite master, but right now she is painful to play.
She has steadily gone from early 2E boring and over powered 3x prompt play (not everyone but a default). To boring and under powered.
Her durability is flawed on several counts:
First it is easy to bypass with certain models which prevent triggers, then she's doomed.
Second she has so few wounds and no other defense tech that after turn two it feels like a constant fight against death, even with her death defying stunts working.
Third it is fairly 'resource' intensive, she can eat up a lot just staying alive.
Fourth given that she is a support master that does not do much, why worry. Particularly after the first turns as models separate and attrition takes hold she quickly runs out of things to do.
I'd like two more wounds and also to do as you said and remove the trigger from her Death Defy. Maybe even give her something like bullet proof, a protection against all non-melee () attacks - A trick with Mirrors - this model reduces the damage from all non attacks by 2.
Next she is, basically boring. A poor support piece that feels like a slightly more durable Angelica. She is a obey master with huge limitations and does negligible damage.
She could be faster - perhaps a (1) Tactical action which gives her a place - (1) An Illusionists entrance - Ca 7 (14) place this model anywhere within 8' of her current position - Trigger () With props and place a friendly scheme marker in base to base.
Perhaps give her an ability (or better an upgrade) proper obey which works on enemy models, call it - Audience Participation
I like the idea of giving her affack slow, or perhaps something which shows the enemy is confused - so after the attack or a trigger push (or even push and obey) the target, call it - Clear the Stage
In essence I think she needs a huge Lucius style re-work in her current form, she is under powered, bland and feels non-thematic. Which is terrible.
I also would love to see another damage dealing Showgirl, her crew needs a cheap pain delivery option (not to much but a reliable mid-range damage, or lower but with tricks) in theme. It should not be Colette, I don't think she should ever be a damage master, but one about tricks and twists. It's just at the moment she isn't one or the other.

I'd be divided between Misaki and Mei Feng.
The others are all more complex and/or have weaker box sets and/or require essential support/summons models to really work. The strongest argument is Lynch but I think his interaction with Huggy is so unusual as to make him a poorer 'teaching the game' master (but he is a superb starting master for a new player, which I think is different).
Between Misaki and Mei its a toss up. Misaki is probably slightly mechanically easier. Mei I think has more durability both in her (Misaki is a true glass cannon) and within her box set (which has a fair amount of armor). I'm primarily an Arcanist so I'd probably go Mei but think as much either of the options work I'd choose based on aesthetics and play-style preference (although they are similar, high maneuverability style, in play, Mei is more jab-duck-kill the weak, where as Misaki is more of a hit and run big target killer).
So to demo - Mei or maybe Misaki or good, fairly simple and standard masters and box set crews.
To have as first master for new player - Jacob Lynch is a great place to start with flexibility, a really solid box set foundation and forgiving enough to learn with.

True. Each of these and Uni Transmortis was either mercenary or single faction and the beginner box was all mercenary as well.
So these boxes are (likely??) to be the first genuine split faction items where certain models will not have utility if the purchaser plays just 'faction x'.

Hello folks,
So not sure if this has already been discussed at length but thought I'd throw up my thoughts for the crowd.
While we've had one (arguably two) story encounter boxes already with Uni Transmortis (which only had Rezzer mini's) and the beginner box (Guild and NB) the coming months promise at least two more and hint at a new regular release item.
Now this is an interesting and cool way to bring out new models for the game, but it is also potentially problematic, so...
My positives:
Lets Wyrd release play-tested and thematic models without having to invest the time, effort and resources on a full book release.
Potentially can allow a 'spread' of faction releases which can eventually be the equivalent of a complete book release over time, and may (hopefully will) later all appear in a book.
Seems as though the encounter boxes are being used as a novel way of targeting releases towards certain 'holes' in current factions and targeting specific masters which need a little buff (at least this definitely appears to be the case with Arcanists, my primary mob, and the coming box).
Lets Wyrd release models at a steady drip level, not in a single here's what is out/planned one yearly book. Means steady income of model purchases for Wyrd - good. Means less people waiting for a book ruled model which is not released yet - good. Means metas can deal, adjust and even errata new models in a bite sized chunk fashion, integrating small numbers of models is easier and less trouble prone then an entire book of figures - good.
Keeps my favorite mini's game Malifaux bubbling away with a steady supply of new models to tempt, amuse, inspire and horrify (when they are non-faction mostly) me. Nothing like knowing your game is supported.
Lets Wyrd play test then wild-release interesting new rules, wordings and ideas in manageable chunks prior to larger releases and a eventual and hoped for Mali 2.5 or 3E some time in the future. The more in the wild rules stress testing Malifaux does, particularly of the more outside-the-box ideas, the better.
It provides instant two-player incentive, nice to get new folks involved, rebuild and renew game group interest and generally ignite small metas.
It is plain characterful and done right adds hugely to the atmosphere of the game, the story>game>story>rules>story cycle. Also adds to things like TtB background, cross-pollination is always encouraged.
So on these points really like the direction, but, its not all butterfly's and blossoms:
Potential for less comprehensive play testing as small releases churn out and create spot fires of rules controversy and power shift eventually resulting in a conflagration.
While the factions that score a box now will celebrate the new hotness, others will languish and be frustrated as they wait and hope. The advantage of the big 'all-faction' book releases is it lets everyone feast and at least partially reduces the perception and reality of single faction 'codex-creep', this release method invites it to return.
The encounter boxes are (not unreasonably, they contain many models) going to be costly. If folks are from small metas, or have no one keen on the other mini's in the box then it is going to be damn expensive to buy one encounter box to secure one or two figures you want, this is even worse if you (like me) are a victim of Malifaux ADD and find cool out of faction models to be an excuse to buy cross faction. Some folks will need to avoid the encounter boxes because the temptation to explode purchasing is large. Understand the logic and business model, does not mean I like it. But also doubt Wyrd will release the mini's separately anytime soon, why would they? This means a significant number of players will be forced to buy a box with multiple mini's they don't want to get a few they do. Secondary market will obviously help, but its likely to get bloated with some models while others are very tough to find.
This just plain increases the model bloat in a game, which while I love, is becoming very difficult to track and keep pace with, not just collection/finance wise but more importantly model/rules wise. This contradicts my earlier 'keep the game ticking' point, I know, but these two things literally reside in opposition in my mind. I want new shinies and rules and hotness but I also dread the new ever multiplying knot of rules, interactions and rules-rocks dumped into an increasingly heavily laden boat which is delicately striving to maintain its balance and not capsize and drown my joy in the game.
That is where my mind is at. I am looking forward to the coming encounter box releases. I like the idea and direction and am optimistic that Wyrd folks can generally make the idea work well for the health of the game. But I wanted to voice my trepidation and also give word to some of my fears and the frustrations I've already seen articulated to some degree on the forums, particularly in the Monday preview threads.
Carefully, carefully. The only thing worse than a bad idea is a good idea poorly implemented. I hope I'm as happy in 12 months as I am optimistic now.

Love that this model...
Looks awesome, at least the art does.
Seems both interesting and experimental, some nice new game play ideas.
Looks like it a huge addition for Kaeris, I mean its stated, and also will be useful for Mei I think. Each of these masters could really use a boost.
Really looking forward to this box release.

Meh on the metal, like the sculpts but think I'll pass.
Big question for me... is there any chance the Backdraft encounter box will be available at the sale?
That will make a huge difference to my budget calculations, money is sadly tight.

I know this is political.... but I had to say it.
A plastic model with a small picture glued on featuring a member of the Trump White House. Although honestly a great and wide range of public figures would suffice.
Have you considered looking for a small Kardashian model, that would seem to fit the bill. I mean the possibilities are endless.
On a serious note +1 to Ludvig, what is acceptable is what the tournament organizers and/or your opponent is happy with. The number 1 absolute rule is that it is 110% clear that it is the model it is supposed to represent, so using for example a Dead Doxie as a stand in for a Mindless Zombie is a big NO. But with the number of zombie figures and games out there I'd imagine you could find viable alternatives.

And today is my quote WWHSD day.
Yep, really look promising for Colette and Kaeris which is outstanding as those are two of the three (poor Mei, but we'll see) Arcanist masters currently on the lower edge of the curve. So super pleased to see that this box seems to target masters that need a little support as opposed to the 'make better more' strategy.
Curious to see what the (0) actions might be for these models, Burning is already a fiddly set-up mechanic so wondering if how these guys work in the move + interact + special power scenario. Will they be models which need to set-up over 2-3 rounds or need support from a second model to pull off tricks?
Will Fitzsimmons attack only damage enemy models or is it a simple blast which could hit friends? Also his durability will be interesting 6' is danger close.
Disguised saboteurs, so I assume this means the special rule, which is promising, although interesting, I mean "hey, look at that person in the gas mask with the detonator..." that must be an impressive disguise. Wonder on the range of detonate hidden charges, seems like it could be tricky to pull off reliably. Poison knives provides more Poison for Arcanists who seem to be getting a nasty sub-theme going but need some way to expunge to make it truly lethal, strange as well because until now the poison had been solidly entrenched in Marcus Beasts, but obviously the risk now is every new Beast/Poison could result in a super deadly McM synergy.
Will Ironsides Burning, the Riot-sides start to become a thing? I've never seen anyone talk up her Molotov cocktail upgrade and emphasize Toni as the rabble rouser theme, it would seem as though these would be the models to do that.

Agreed. Which may be awkward game play wise but makes sense, it means they 'look' scale (as opposed to super wide doors) and it makes thematic sense, I mean most Malifaux buildings are not scaled for a Saber-Tooth, its not a standard kinda cat (although modeling in a saber tooth cat flap is a conversion idea which brings joy).
They do look nice and really variable. Price point is the number one concern. Assembly, painting and storage will also be...... interesting.
Still love the idea and look. Hey guys how about a targeted errata to clean up the elevation, climbing and movement rules..... widely acknowledged to be problematic and now it looks like we'll be getting terrain which deserves solid rules to support it.

Budget is a huge factor.
Malifaux does not really play into a "one list to take, one list to play them, one list to crush them all together". The paper-scissors-rock equation runs on multiple different levels so you take faction-master 'x' vs faction master 'y' but then they take models 'a' to negate your models 'b' and then there is the schemes and strats and add in the terrain. You need to be flexible.
So what.....
First set your budget, certain masters are simply cheaper to play both in efficient crew and maximum crew pool (I'm looking at you Marcus, don't you bring home another Gupp, we can't afford to feed all the others already, is that a Hoarcat kitten in your pocket?).
Second what is your style, what do you like the look of, do you play aggressive or passive? I believe you always play better when you play comfortable, regardless of respective tier.
As WWHSD said the Arcanist on a budget article is a solid place to start. For that matter the Schemes & Stones archives are a solid beginning, most, if not all, of the Arcanist masters have had a feature episode. Now also as WWHSD said note that S&S podcast episodes are all a bit dated, erratas and new releases change things, but in increments so the core information remains applicable and valuable.
Now, my take
Upper tier, generally powerful masters with good flexiblity
Marcus is great, huge range of models and adaptable play style. But correspondingly very, very expensive to buy into if you want to maximize him, many very strong Beasts are out of faction and several are only available in expensive boxes outside of secondary market.
Ramos is durable and as a premier summoner his crews can cover most tasks with numbers if not specialty. Also can be costly, for any summoner you need the extra summons models, but he is expensive to start as opposed to a sub-faction money sink (I'm looking at you again Marcus, no a Dawn Serpent is not a pet and feeding it Gupps is not an answer to two problems at once).
Sandeep is another summoner but no where near as capable of summoning the numbers as Ramos (Sandeep is capped in his summons numbers to three). Very, very flexible master, probably the best all rounder still in Arcanists if you can select from a range of models, but this does include some expensive out of faction purchases (for some reason Sandeep collects Malifaux's errant school children, including the reanimated ones).
Ironsides is a solid master, tough, durable and has nice M&SU synergy. Good selection.
Rasputina the mistress of blasting is a solid master and her crew synergy (Frozen Heart) is a collection of amazing and deadly models many of whom have a place in a lot of Arcanist crews. Good selection.
Lower tier, while all Malifaux master/crew combos have a paper to rock match up these are the ones who are tricky and finicky to play. By no means weak but they punish mistakes far more readily than they reward good play, tough to maximize. Having said that they are frequently more 'side-ways' players and can really confound opponents who rarely see them played and see them played well even less.
Colette, has great scheme marker play and can be a nightmare to play with her tricks and weird vectors, nice in-crew synergy. But is very fragile and with recent releases has some really problematic hard counters to her already tricky durability. The mistress of misdirection really works when you do, but if you can't fool your opposition then she crumples to a hard slap in the face.
Kaeris is a flying quasi flame angel, she is somewhat fast, somewhat durable, somewhat synergistic, somewhat tricky, somewhat dangerous and somewhat average. The main problem here is that while she can do everything, and if done right can do it well, it all requires real effort to do well. It takes a lot of work to make the flaming choir sing, it does not take much to see the fires of hope snuffed out viciously.
Mei Feng is a shifty, bouncy, ephemeral master that removes an opponents crew around them in a flurry of melee - at least when she works right. Good anti-range but vulnerable to melee heavy crews and also attrition builds - but has some rezzer hard counter options at least. She is dual faction which means she can also play as Ten Thunders, this provide some cool options but can also make her more costly to get her range of model options.
If it was me, starting out, I'd get Ironsides and Ramos. The Ironsides box is great and is also very important to any later purchase of Sandeep. The Ramos box provides huge synergy for Ironsides, is very important to any Arcanists, and is plain good. You can from there expand Ramos by buying some spiders for summoning and you'll find many models which are really useful to both Ironsides and Ramos crews. This is the cheapest way of fielding two very good masters which also have nice coverage to play against most of the enemy-crew/scheme/strat/terrain combos you'll see.

Having said that Arcanists can do some Burning and Ramos has some options in that direction.
Not sure, in fact doubt, it would be super competitive. But think it could be interesting and fun and would not by any means be truly handicapped in a more casual style game.